Jody was sung by Benny Richardson in Ellis Unit, part of the Texas penitentiary system in Hendersonville, Texas in the 1960s. It was collected by Bruce Jackson and his scholarship matches the remarkable nature of the song itself.

There is a great video that includes Jody being sung by Benny Richardson here at folkstreams.net. The video, which was made by Pete and Toshi Seeger, includes a transcript that is useful for reading along as you watch the video.

Another important resource for Jody is "Wake Up Dead Man, Hard Labor and Southern Blues" by Bruce Jackson. In it he describes the epic nature of the song, which has a simple form, satisfying melody and and haiku-like lyrics that distill the prison experience

Lyrics

I've been working all day long,YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.Pickin' this stuff called cotton and corn,YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.